18 more men charged as alleged 'johns'

KENNEBUNK — Police last week released the names of the second round of alleged clients of Alexis Wright, who allegedly ran a prostitution operation out of her Kennebunk Zumba studio, charging 18 men.

Laura Dolce

KENNEBUNK — Police last week released the names of the second round of alleged clients of Alexis Wright, who allegedly ran a prostitution operation out of her Kennebunk Zumba studio, charging 18 men.

All 18 individuals are charged with the misdemeanor count of engaging in prostitution.

The names released Friday afternoon, Oct. 26, are the second of what police said will be groups of names released as alleged clients are summonsed. Twenty-one names were released Oct. 15, after court appeals to keep the names confidential were denied.

Police said they plan to release the names of other individuals charged in the case in "batches" as they become available. The process, they said, could take months.

The next group of names is expected to be released Nov. 9.

So far, only two of the 39 men charged have been Kennebunk residents, causing many in the community to hope that the anticipated impact on the town won't materialize after all.

Police say those charged utilized the services of Wright, 29, of Wells, who they say operated a prostitution operation out of her Pura Vida Zumba Studio and an office space on High Street in Kennebunk. The alleged client list may contain more than 100 names. Police say Wright was working with Mark Strong Sr., 57, of Thomaston, who allegedly researched potential clients and helped set up video equipment to record the sexual encounters.

Wright and Strong have been indicted and pleaded not guilty to more than 160 counts combined — Strong with 59, and Wright with 106 — including promoting prostitution and invasion of privacy.

According to court documents, investigators said Wright had sex with clients for money — charging a minimum of $195 for an appointment, according to her Web site — and that she and Strong conspired to videotape the encounters without the men's knowledge.

Wright also appeared in the videos, as well as dozens of others on numerous pornography Web sites. Most of the videos were taken down in the weeks following a police search of Wright's Wells home, Route 1 Zumba studio and High Street massage office.

Along with her videos, Wright appears to have posted messages and blogs on other adult sites, writing frankly of some of the secrets she was keeping.

On one such blog, which has since been taken down, the personal profile read, "I live in a small town in Maine and have my own dance studio, many in my community do not realize that I am an exhibitionist and that I crave sex. I have had sex with many of the married men locally and it is satisfying to know that I am providing them with what they are not getting at home. If the women only knew. ...;"

While Wright operated her Zumba studio since 2010, she didn't rent the High Street office until the beginning of 2012. It was there, until Feb. 12, that she operated Sensual Body Work by Lydia, which touted "sensual body rubs" on its Web site.

A handwritten sign on the door said "nutritional counseling."

The prices for the services were steep, with the site listing 30 minutes of service at $195 and an hour at $300, with fantasy roleplaying and fetish work extra.

"My services are based on the belief that my customers' needs are of the utmost importance," Wright wrote on the site. "I am committed to meeting those needs. As a result, a high percentage of my business is from repeat customers and referrals."

The men charged this week are:

Jason Rickett, 29, of 2 Paige Drive, Gorham. He is scheduled to appear in Biddeford District Court on Dec. 5.

Dennis Sillon, 54, of 476 Shapleigh Corner Road, Shapleigh. He is scheduled to appear in Biddeford District Court on Dec. 19.

Michael Dente, 33, of 5 Allison Drive, Saco. He is scheduled to appear in Biddeford District Court on Dec. 5.

Matthew Scott, 48, of 767 Minot Ave., Auburn. He is scheduled to appear in Biddeford District Court on Dec. 19.

Matthew Dichard, 44, of 17 Northland Road, #2, Glenburn. He is scheduled to appear in Biddeford District Court on Dec. 19.

Patrick Heelan, 56, of 128 Burnham Road, Scarborough. He is scheduled to appear in Biddeford District Court on Dec. 19.

Nathaniel Thompson, 53, of 221 Spurwink Road, Scarborough. He is scheduled to appear in Biddeford District Court on Dec. 19.

Albert Tremblay, 46, of 144 Old Derry Road, Hudson, N.H. He is scheduled to appear in Biddeford District Court on Dec. 19.

Kris Kamys, 65, of 469 Brownfield Road, Hiram. He is scheduled to appear in Biddeford District Court on Dec. 19.

Robert Chabot, 66, of 35 Clark St., Saco. He is scheduled to appear in Biddeford District Court on Dec. 19.

Neil McDonald, 58, of 13 Acorn Lane, Scarborough. He is scheduled to appear in Biddeford District Court on Dec. 19.

Steven Houghton, 43, of 1 Meadow Lane, South Berwick. He is scheduled to appear in Biddeford District Court on Dec. 19.

Frank Parker, 61, of 14 Cooper Road, Freeport. He is scheduled to appear in Biddeford District Court on Dec. 19.

Michael Wears, 52, of 27 Abenaki Lane, Sanford. He is scheduled to appear in Biddeford District Court on Dec. 19.

Jason Nadeau, 38, of 105 County Road, Scarborough. He is scheduled to appear in Biddeford District Court on Jan. 23.

Joseph Lewis, 49, of 80 Morning St., Portland. He is scheduled to appear in Biddeford District Court on Dec. 19.

Donald Fortin, 59, of 83 Skillings Woods Road, Turner. He is scheduled to appear in Biddeford District Court on Dec. 19.

Lawrence Ritchie, 48, of 44 Cotton Road, Deerfield, N.H. He is scheduled to appear in Biddeford District Court on Jan. 23.

Advertise

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
seacoastonline.com ~ 111 New Hampshire Ave., Portsmouth, NH 03801 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service